Rentals

Apr

Buying vs. Renting – is it worth it?

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, General Real Estate News, Local Market Statistics, Rentals

So assuming that it’s a good time to buy, that buying is a good investment in the long run (even if there is a downturn, there will be a recovery), what is the trade off between buying and renting? Are there benefits to buying? You probably already know the answer but the general consensus is that buying is better than [...]

Apr

Bay Area Takes Top 3 Spots for Worst Place to Rent

Posted In: General Real Estate News, Rentals

We already know that the Bay Area is already a difficult market to buy in, but did you know that it is also becoming increasingly difficult to rent in as well? I am constantly shocked to hear how much our buyer clients are paying in rent, which also explains why they are seeking out a mortgage instead. Forbes just released [...]

Mar

Bay Area Buyers: Are You Tired Yet? Consider Investing.

Posted In: First Time Home Buyers, For Boomers, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News, Investing, Local Market Statistics, Rentals

Where does a wary buyer in the San Francisco Bay Area, who has had their offers rejected 13 times, find a house? North Carolina. “Lovely, ranch style, 2033 square feet, custom built in 2006, Listed at $198,000” “1700 square foot, custom new construction, 4 beds and 3.5 baths, peaceful view, listed at $209,900” or how about “All one level, brick exterior, [...]

Dec

High Rental Rates Equal Higher Mortgage Rates?

Posted In: Alameda, Alameda County, Albany, Berkeley, Economy, El Cerrito, Emeryville, First Time Home Buyers, For Boomers, For Buyers, For Sellers, General Real Estate News, Kensington, Local Market Statistics, Mortgage & Finance, Oakland, Rentals, Richmond, Temescal, Uncategorized

High rental rates near BART don’t necessarily equal higher mortgage rates. KQED recently posted this cool albeit somewhat depressing map showing you where you can find an affordable 1 bedroom near BART. While this may be hard to look at from a renter’s point of view, we need to remember that owning closer to BART does not necessarily mean you [...]

Apr

How Much Rent for my House?

Posted In: Community, Rentals

Ever wonder what the average rental rate might be on your house? In your neighborhood? It seems like in the world of short sales and REO’s that people are starting to rent a bit more. I am often asked how much rent a particular house could get. I am not in the rental market, but I do have some great [...]

Mar

Zilpy.com : Great Rental Resource

Posted In: Rentals

What Is Zilpy? Zilpy is a free online rental market facts and analysis service dedicated to help you make better rental and investment decisions. We do exactly what you would do if you had to do the analysis yourself – collect data from all available sources (newspaper classifieds, online classifieds, apartment rentals, etc.) and filter the data based on your [...]